Udayam Charitable Trust (UCT)

Partnering with the Lions Club of Dindigul-GEM, UCT identified and provided 15 days of intensive training to local volunteers to provide home-based services.

The volunteers regularly visit the homes of twenty-six severely affected mentally retarded students and teach them life skills, daily activities and other activities.

UCT operates a tailoring training centre for poor rural girls and students with hearing issues. To enable income generation to girls and boys who have discontinued education, the Trust runs chair re-caning centres besides encouraging training in the crafts of embroidery, handicrafts, incense stick and soap oil production.

To empower women and children UCT conducts awareness sessions and training to improve their economic conditions. The women are helped to organise themselves into self-help groups and informed about social issues and their possible causes motivating them to think and come up with solutions.

UCT operates special schools for mentally retarded children that provide free education, learning material and encourages extra-curricular activities. It has early intervention facilities to detect any disability and start appropriate treatment early.

Its Eklavya School for Autism focuses on treating Autism disorders and provides education to affected children through multisensory teaching techniques using Visual, Audio and Kinesthetic-tactile (VAKT) methods. Special education and arts-based therapy are liberally used to provide activity-based learning besides specific interventions like speech-language therapy, sensory integration therapy and Augmentative and Alternative Communication.

UCT conducted a one-day training programme for tribal leaders. This programme set about creating awareness of their rights and entitlements leading to the tribals demanding their fundamental rights from the Government.

Tribal women are guided to secure additional income through goat rearing, broomstick making, collecting and selling honey and medicinal plants.